Celebrating the First Days of Autumn

Sunday was the first day of autumn. It doesn’t really look like autumn here but it is definitely beginning to feel that way.

It’s been raining for the last two days and was still raining out when I took these pics. You can see the leaves haven’t started changing color yet, at least not in my yard, but it won’t be long. Are they changing where you live?

My fall table setting features a scarecrow centerpiece I’ve had for many years, probably 15 years or longer. The candlesticks are from Hobby Lobby 5 years ago and have been used in several past table settings…

…including this nature-themed table setting posted back in September 2008. Do you remember this one? If you do, you’ve been following BNOTP almost from the very beginning! The pics are pretty blurry in that early table setting, but it’s still fun to look back and remember it. 🙂 It can be viewed here: A Nature Lovers Table Setting

Mr. Scarecrow had a little mishap at some point over the years. His tiny button nose had all but worn away. It was just constructed of styrofoam with fabric over it…shhh, don’t tell him! I never would toss him, kept hoping I’d find something to work as a replacement.

One day I happened to notice a tiny acorn I had was the same size as the spot where his nose had been. The acorn fit perfectly and Mr. Scarecrow has been back in the crow-scaring business ever since. He’s pretty happy about it, too!

You may remember the leaf glassware from previous fall table settings. It was one of those bargain finds at my local dollar store. I started to put soup spoons out since we’re having soup today, but it crowded the table and threw off the balance of the setting. So I went for form over function for this week’s tablescape. 😉

This is the dinner plate and I fell hard for this pattern when I saw it in Pier 1.

Salad plate…

The leaf napkins were a recent find in HomeGoods. I love how they looked paired with the green, velvet-edged napkins from Pier 1.

I’ve used the acorn soup tureens and leaf napkin rings several times over the years so you may recognize them from previous tablescapes. I don’t remember now where I found the leaf napkin rings but the soup tureens were a bargain sale item from Williams-Sonoma one year.

I love how the green velvet on the napkins looks with the green edge of the leaf dishware.

Cinnamon-colored flatware worked well in this colorful fall table setting.

Happy first week of fall sweet friends!

Looking forward to the beautiful tables linked for this week’s Tablescape Thursday!

If you are participating in Tablescape Thursday, please be sure to add your permalink below, and not your general blog address. To get your permalink, click on your post name, then copy and paste the address showing in the address bar, into the “url” box when you link up.

You’ll need to include a link in your post back to the party in order to link up and participate. That’s so visitors to your blog will be able to find the party and the other Tablescape Thursday participants.

If you would like to use the Tablescape Thursday logo button in your post, just copy and paste it to your computer and upload it to your post as you would any photo.

Please, don’t add your post name/blog name ALL IN CAPS…it tends to create big spaces between the rows of links.

Comments

Gorgeous fall table Susan! I love the tureens and duo of fall napkins! Your plates are beautiful too! I love that you replaced your scarecrow’s nose with an acorn! Our leaves don’t turn here until the end of October, I’m looking forward to fall weather!

Hi Susan, I do remember your table because of those candlesticks and your V & B china. Surprisingly, the leaves have not really changed here in southern CT yet, although one good frost night and we will waken to more color. I love your Mr. Scarecrow with his new nose and of course those tureens!! Happy first week of fall to you, too. Thank you for hosting. Linda

I love the use of Cinnamon-colored flatware for a Fall table! The green, velvet-edged napkins from Pier 1 are lovely. I might have to add them to my shopping cart ;o) Thanks for hosting Susan. Love all your fall touches.

Susan, since I am a little south of you, the leaves are not turning here, either! All of the pieces on your table make me think that Fall is coming, though! I finally broke down and bought pumpkin soups with lids this year, but I adore your acorn ones. The colors on the leaf plates are exactly the right ones for the first day of Fall and Mr. Scarecrow is the perfect gentleman to welcome us to the table!

Mr. Scarecrow is a cutie! I have one I made back in the 80’s I should dig out and use. Those leaf plates look great and your stemware too. I like the texture of the napkin with this setting- their perfect. The soup tureens have been a good investment for you! We’re seeing hints of color here, but we’ve got a ways to go. I can’t believe September is nearly over already!

Liz, I wanted to describe the texture in this post but couldn’t come up with a good way to do it. They are like a real heavy linen and remind you of burlap a little. I know! Where did this month go?! Happy Fall!

The mornings here in East Texas are beginning to feel cool and crisp but by noon we are up into the 90’s. But a touch of fall is definitely in the air even though our tree leaves are still bright green just like yours. I love your acorn soup tureens. I love soup tureens. My mother brought a large serving soup tureen to me from England back in 1968 and it is about 200 years old. I often set it in the middle of the dining table as a centerpiece. I treasure it greatly. So, once again, I COVET your stuff!!! If those little darlings come up missing, don’t come looking for them!! lol

Susan, time and time again you dazzle me by putting together beautiful table scapes! They always look so cozy and welcoming, I want to sit right down and enjoy supper with you. 😀 I really love those leaf napkin rings, and I agree about the way the green velvet trimmed napkins pull in the green from the plates and glasses. Lovely. Thanks for sharing!

Pssst … I tried not to stare but Mr. Scarecrow’s nose job is remarkably realistic. Kudos to his surgeon. 😉

Fall perfection! Despite his age, your scarecrow looks great, and he is so in style with his burlap pants. Those tureens are gorgeous, and I’ll be back to see if you post a picture without the tureen, because the plates look so pretty. I still can’t believe that pretty leaf glassware from the dollar store. I don’t remember the nature tablescape, even though I have been following since the beginning. But, I can’t remember what my tablescapes looked like at the beginning of blogging. Thank you for hosting. laurie

Thanks, Laurie! I forget what I have sometimes. Wish I had a big old monster-size butler’s pantry to store it all in. I know you have amazing holiday storage. Do you have a great place to keep all your dishware together?

Laurie:
I saw those leaf wine goblets at Dollar Tree about 2 weeks ago here in Miami – I don’t know if they all stock the same merchandise across all stores, but they had plenty. They also had brown wine goblets (from Libbey) that I almost had a heart attack about – I’ve been looking for something to match my Churchill turkey plates for years – so I picked up a dozen!! Good luck finding them if you’re interested.

Susan, I’m so glad you found a new nose for Mr. Scarecrow so he could be back in business! He’s a real cutie on your autumn table. Of course, I have a real soft spot for scarecrows! Love those leaf plates because we have to get our autumn color any way we can, right?

Absolutely beautiful! Thanks for all of the fall inspiration. I’m from Phoenix, where it’s still pretty warm and a deciduous tree with leaves that turn is a rarity, so you’re getting me in the mood to decorate!

Nope, leaves are still very green here, usually mid Oct. they start to change.

Love your pretty dishes, and yes, the napkin edge picks up the green beautifully. I like the look of the soup spoon in the setting, go for it! 🙂
Of course I love the tureens, I am dying to use mine again too!
Thanks for hosting, Susan!

Hey Susan,
I noticed a few leaves turning around Athens this week…It won’t be long..I love when the gingkos turn yellow.. I really like those soup tureens you used this week and the velvet trimmed napkins…….Your whole table just speaks autumn…very pretty..
Thanks for hosting us all…
Love, Mona

I look forward to receiving your posts. You are so creative. Love how you share your table settings and how creative you are. I found a cute store in Snellville Georgia that you would love. If you get a chance to get to Snellville check out Unique Treasures on Hwy. 78. You would love it. It is an antique mall/second hand furnishings. I have been able to find things there to set seasonal tablescapes very reasonable. I think you would love love love it. They are on facebook if you get a chance, check it out.
Keep posting and sharing your pictures. Looking forward to more inspirations.
Thank you for sharing with us.
Your new admirer and friend,
Deborah

Such a sweet Fall table ! Great leaf plates and I always love anything acorn. Very fun table and beautiful. Fall is just a hint here in Virginia. Mid October is our main time. In the mountains I think the leaves are turning already. I am glad Fall is long and so beautiful in our area. Enjoying all the Farmers Markets, pumpkins and slightly cooler weather. Our little town of Smithfield is full of tourists enjoying a step back in time. I go to Williamsburg often and enjoy walking in the historical city and of course shopping. Thanks for sharing Susan you always make everything beautiful and exciting.

An amazing idea to put a dining table in a covered porch. This lets you eat with a relaxing ambiance and a beautiful view. The decorations on this one for the fall season is wonderful. It’s lovely how the dinnerware and centerpieces work together to bring the theme to its fullest, add the refreshing backdrop of the outdoors and it positively spells sweet and warm bonding.

Hi, Susan,
Once, again, your table is a work of art. I love the way you combine two napkins, and this time those green velvet trimmed ones go beautifully with the cinnamon napkins and the edging around the plates!! Your scarecrow is a rascal! (looks at the smile on his face! I think he’s been letting birds into the garden and making friends!) You’ve set such a pretty scene—–as always.
Rosie

Susan, we are getting a few cool mornings and highs in the 90s, but no real signs of fall as yet. Your beautiful table with falling leaves sure makes me long for crisp, fall days. I do remember your Nature Lover’s Table – beautiful! I also remember those sweet acorn soup tureens. I tried to find a set of those, but they continue to elude me.
Love the details of this table, especially the sentiment of Mr. Scarecrow. I have a couple that I’ve had for likely 30 years. They need to be fluffed with new straw and leafs every now and again, but still continue to make me smile.
Happy First Week of Fall! ~ Sarah

No Fall here yet, but the geese are flying over. I would gladly trade you for some rain, just the rain you don’t need. I love how you take an item and reuse it and make it all new again. I can’t imagine only using the items once. That would be like only wearing a dress once.

Gorgeous as always!! Love those velvet edged napkins! I’m so in love with your porch.
Autumn is making it’s presence known here in the Pacific Northwest. There’s a ‘tinge’ to the leaves and the temps have dropped significantly. I’m ready!

First of all, thank you Susan for hosting Tablescaping Thursday. Second, Every time I see your acorn tureens I fall in love again (with the tureens). Your tablescape is lovely. I really enjoy every one you post.
Now I would like to apologize for not quite getting it when I linked to your party. From now on when it says name I will put the name of my posting, not “my” name. But in my defense this was the first time I have linked up to a party. I did try to link to Seasonal Sunday, but that did not work for me at all (I didn’t link it right). I am learning slowly but surely. I keep managing to disconnect people on my Google circles too. I still don’t know what I am doing wrong. But I’m working on it.

Candy, don’t feel bad, I’m still trying to figure stuff out every day. 🙂 I went into InLinkz and changed the name to the name of your post, although you can name it anything you like. I also went ahead and changed the link from your general blog address to the permalink for the post itself, that way when folks click on your tablescape link in the days to come, it will take them straight to the post and they won’t need to scroll down to find your beautiful table. It took me a while to figure out how to get my permalink to a post but it’s actually easy once ya know how. To get that, just click on the title of the post and the address that shows up in the address bar at the top of the screen is the permalink or direct link to the post itself. That’s what you’ll want to put in InLinkz each week. If you have any questions, just let me know and if I can help, I will. I’m still learning, too! 🙂

I just love those Acorn soup tureens!! I am always drawn to acorn items – I think it is a textural thing! The combination of the two napkins and those wonderful leaf napkin rings look fabulous. Mr Scarecrow looks very happy to reside over such a pretty table. Thanks for hosting – Have a great weekend!

Susan,
you say you love how the green velvet on the napkins looks with the green edge of the plates?
HA! I say I love, love, love how EVERYTHING fits together on your table! And not only on the table!
I mean, look at the colors of those cushions! Perfection! Just perfection! (As always, btw.)
Oh, and of course, I love Mr. Scarecrow! He is too cute! 🙂
~Hugs to you~
Cecilia
P.S. Susan, we’re having a lot of sun these days here in Germany (quite unusual for this season) and the leaves aren’t changing color yet, at least not in my area. Some people say that means we will have a very hard winter! Oh dear!

Beautiful as usual Susan! It is definitely Autumn here (Canada) and regardless of all the glorious colour; I hate the thought that …….. winter is just around the corner. White, white, white and more white which is ever so blah!
(One of the curses living in a snow belt region.) ☺ -Brenda-

Susan,
LOVELY fall table! I love those acorn soup tureens! Funny that you have those lovely tureens even though you have had such a dislike of all the acorns in your front yard! 🙂 Having mentioned that, if you feel the need to sell them now due to the memories, email me please. (Just kidding)
I also would like to add, that I love how you do not hesitate to buy things at the dollar store or big lots etc. You always seem to find lovely things there. Not everything beautiful has to come from Pottery Barn or other more pricey stores. Nothing against Pottery Barn, love them! 🙂
Blessings

Hi Susan,
This is such a pretty table, I love all the fall colors. I could just sit and look all day! The dishes and stemware are perfect, as are the napkins! Wow, those are gorgeous! Your little scarecrow is such a great little centerpiece, I’m glad you were able to repair him! As always, thanks so much for hosting this party, it’s always so inspirational!
Sharlotte

HI SUSAN!
love the colorful autumnal feel of your beautifully designed tablescape!
since returning to work, i’ve fall [en] LOL away from my blog responses. do you have any suggestions for
a kindegarten tablescape?
thanks,
ann

Thanks, Ann! Check out some of the tablescape on this page in case they spark an idea. Just click on the picture links to access the table setting: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/childrens-2/ Will the tablescape be for a special occasion? Where will it be? You could have a lot of fun with the centerpiece!

Susan, I love your harvest tablescape. I am an “way over the top” lady and that cute guy I married is a minimalist kind of man but when we hosted a Canadian Thanksgiving on Oct 14th which also was his 70th birthday, I went all out on the table decorations and he was bragging to his buddies about how I pulled things from all over the yard and house to get it looking “just magnificent” (his words, I swear) I gave the glory to you and your tutelage. I know the USA Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I just want you to know I am thankful for you and your lovely Blog. I catch a nap and quite a few dreamy ideas from you Porch often. Cheers from the west coast of Canada.

This is the tablescape that hooked me one year ago; and I’ve been searching for the acorn individual tureens ever since. Dining table is already set with the beautiful Pier 1 “Asheville” leaf plates; breakfast table set with this year’s Pier 1 Harvest Garden pumpkin dinnerware. Still having fun and love your posts. Thanks for your inspiration!

Paula, if I ever see them somewhere, I’ll let cha know. I lucked out coming across those. Glad you got those gorgeous Asheville plates and the Harvest Garden plates. A friend of mine was trying to find those and they were all sold out online. Apparently, Pier 1 is getting more in though.